245. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education if she will ensure that additional bus capacity is put in place without delay for the school transport service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45339/22]
120. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when the new Leader programme will be operational; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45113/22]
119. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide additional funding for the social inclusion and community activation programme in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45114/22]
67. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if specific additional financial supports will be introduced in 2023 to assist in the development of enterprise centres, in view of their importance in providing workspace for start-up businesses and small enterprises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44919/22]
35. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures that will be introduced to support small and medium enterprises, with particular reference to the increasing energy costs and the difficulties arising for such businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44920/22]
665. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide additional funding for the social inclusion and activation programme for 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44922/22]
409. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will ensure that students (details supplied) are enabled to continue their studies as planned at the commencement of their course; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44370/22]
232. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the income eligibility limits for local authority housing in areas such as counties Cavan and Monaghan will be increased given that present limits are unrealistic and deny many low-income families the ability to apply for social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44892/22]
144. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Transport the number of persons awaiting a driving test in the RSA Cavan driving test centre; the number of weeks that applicants are on waiting lists for a test date; when the huge delays experienced in Cavan for driving tests will be meaningfully addressed; if his attention has been drawn to the long time lag between applicants completing their required driving lessons and being facilitated with a test; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that many of the applicants are young people who need to travel for education or employment purposes, who do not have access to public transport and are disadvantaged in many ways by not having full driving licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44709/22]
2048. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health when the €1,000 pandemic bonus payment will be made to healthcare staff, other than those employed directly by the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44181/22]
2047. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health the progress to date in the provision of additional capacity at a healthcare facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44180/22]
2044. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that adequate funding is provided to ensure that a health service continues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44153/22]
2043. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that there is equal treatment of private nursing homes in relation to subvention payments regardless of their location; if the sizeable divergence in payments at present will be removed without delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44152/22]
2042. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health if additional supports will be provided without further delay to meet additional costs being incurred by nursing homes, particularly by small-scale providers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44151/22]
1359. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will ensure that additional measures will be introduced to reduce student contributions and other associated costs for the forthcoming academic year given the particular pressures on many families with students attending third-level education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44171/22]
1358. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will ensure that higher education institutions which have on-campus accommodation refund in full deposits for accommodation paid by applicants who subsequently may not be able to take up the offer of accommodation due to a college placement elsewhere or failure to obtain a particular college placement at that time, and also taking into account the delayed leaving certificate results and offers of college places, given the increasing costs of living and rising accommodation costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44170/22]
2163. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress to date in resolving the peat supply issues affecting the horticulture and mushroom sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41738/22]
2162. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of felling and planting licences issued on a yearly basis since 2018 and to date in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41737/22]
2150. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied that there will be adequate capacity in the new agri-climate rural environment scheme to enable all potential applicants' avail of this scheme in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41359/22]
2149. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a farmer in one of the co-operation project zones under the agri-climate rural environment scheme will have the opportunity to access ACRES General; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41358/22]
2148. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will ensure that farmers finishing on an existing environmental scheme in 2022 have the opportunity to participate in the new agri-climate rural environment scheme in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41357/22]
2143. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide detailed consideration of the issues outlined in correspondence by a national organisation (details supplied) in relation to the need to ensure that farming and the agri-food sector are not adversely impacted by sectoral emissions targets; if he will ensure that the importance of this sector in its very sizeable contribution to the national economy and also its role in food security are taken fully into account in all assessments in relation to emissions reductions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41302/22]
2055. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health the measures that he will implement at an early date to address the shortage of General Practitioners, particularly in rural communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41919/22]
1938. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that an existing healthcare service is not reduced (details supplied) in view of its importance to a large area and population; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41318/22]
1606. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Justice if she will outline the progress to date in re-opening Bawnboy Garda Station, County Cavan which was announced by the Garda Commissioner in November 2017 and subsequently confirmed by the Minister for Justice; if she will outline the timeline for this re-opening and if she will ensure that any further undue delays do not occur; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41303/22]
1476. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when approval will issue to an education and training board (details supplied) for a proposed building project to move to the next stage; if he will ensure that this project will progress at an early date in view of the need to provide additional permanent accommodation for this college; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41338/22]
1449. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the proposals there are to increase the number of pharmacy students in colleges, particularly in view of the shortage of community pharmacists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40342/22]
1228. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection the proposals there are to provide specific social protection measures to persons (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40343/22]
980. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if it is proposed to have early meetings of the British-Irish Council and the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference following the appointment of a new British Prime Minister, to discuss issues of immediate concern including the protocol legislation and the totally unacceptable proposals published by the British Government regarding legacy issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41016/22]
455. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Finance the timeline for the publication of the Report of the Banking Review; if he will give a clear message to all stakeholders, particularly the financial institutions, that decisions impacting on the availability of banking services should not be made pending the completion of this review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41921/22]
454. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Finance if he will engage with the Central Bank and with a bank (details supplied) as a matter of urgency in relation to this retail bank's recent decision to reduce substantially its services to customers, causing a further diminution in financial services available to many rural communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41920/22]
304. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Transport the proposals to progress the N2 Clontibret to the Border road project in County Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41643/22]
155. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the progress that has been made to date in the roll-out of the National Broadband Plan in County Monaghan; the progress that is expected in improving access to broadband in this area in 2022 and 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41592/22]
154. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the progress that has been made to date in the roll-out of the National Broadband Plan in County Cavan; the progress that is expected in improving access to broadband in this area in 2022 and 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41591/22]
140. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he is satisfied that existing legislation and regulations are adequate to eliminate the widespread postering throughout the country of political messages by some groups, outside of the legal timeframe associated with elections and referenda for such postering and information regarding public meetings, as in many instances such material is contributing to roadside littering; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41315/22]
135. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will give urgent consideration to the issues outlined by a company (details supplied) concerning the circular economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41298/22]
671. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Justice the number of applications that have been received and the number of approvals issued on an annual basis since 2012 in respect of the Immigrant Investor Programme under each particular investment fund; the total investment under each heading; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39295/22]
498. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education if consideration is being given to changes to the modelling system for the assessment of schools for inclusion in the DEIS Programme given that there are anomalies resulting in the exclusion of some schools who share catchment areas with schools who are in the DEIS scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39451/22]
497. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education if consideration will be given at an early date to a further extension of the DEIS Programme in view of the availability of data from the 2022 Census; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39450/22]
421. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will convey again to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland the widespread and serious concerns in relation to the British Government proposals concerning legacy issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39301/22]
252. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Transport in the event of the reallocation of capital funding within his Department in 2022, if he will ensure that additional funding is provided for the 2022 non-national roadworks programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39294/22]
140. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection the proposals there are to improve the criteria for the free fuel allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34870/22]
109. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection the proposals to improve the criteria for the free fuel allowance in cases in which a family member may return to live with a parent on a temporary basis, who normally resides on their own and who is in receipt of the free fuel allowance due to housing or domestic difficulties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34869/22]
51. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment levels will be increased to reflect present market levels for herds that are depopulated due to TB; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38354/22]
8. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will ensure that compensation payment levels will be increased without further delay in respect of the depopulation of herds due to TB; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38353/22]
218. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if her attention has been drawn to the widespread concerns at present in Northern Ireland in relation to limited access to RTÉ channels for many viewers with further difficulties emerging with the availability of television streaming services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38256/22]
8. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent meeting with members of the United States Congress with reference to discussion of the appointment of a special envoy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34568/22]
957. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health if the issues raised in correspondence (details supplied) will be given detailed consideration at an early date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37771/22]